Gravity Falls: 10 Years Later
by littlesiggy5
Summary: It has been 10 years since the events of Weirdmageddon. Dipper Pines has been adventuring for years now, has battled countless enemies, made fierce and loyal friends. But his next adventure will push him to the breaking point. ADD-ON: Feel free to leave reviews if you guys want. Positive or negative, let me know!
1. Chapter 1: Return

The trees were different, I think. Some were where they were last time I'd been here, but others had grown, making the forest thicker. Darker. I had to resist the urge to stop the car and run into the woods again. I had a place I had to be and it was just up the road. I could see the totem pole, the busted up porch, and the sign on the roof. Soos cleaned up pretty nice, but he never could take away that charm that the Mystery Shack had. Knowing him, he never wanted to.

"WE'RE HERE!"

"Oink!"

Mabel's screech was about as shrill as a banshee's, but not quite so bone-chilling. It didn't help that she screamed it in my ear, though. "Mabel, I haven't parked the RV yet, could you keep it down a bit?"

She pouted. "Dip, if I want to be excited, then let me. You don't have to be so grumpy all the time. You're turning into Grunkle Stan and you're not even 30 yet."

Even the mention of the old man brought a small smile to my face. We all missed him and Great Uncle Ford, but they sent us postcards from wherever they were in the world. Their stories about the Giant Squid, the Loch Ness Monster, and New Zealand made me a bit jealous, but I knew it was a matter of time before I would be a real adventurer. Maybe this case was my break. I just wished that it didn't have to be this case.

We pulled up to the parking space. Only two cars were in the lot, a minivan that I knew was Soos', and a big red truck that I thought I knew who owned that. After getting out herself, Mabel brought out Waddles. The pig was no longer a piglet, but Mabel loved him regardless. She never put him on a leash if she didn't have to. Besides, he didn't need one, given that he followed Mabel anywhere.

I walked up to the door and saw that they were closed. I looked at Mabel. "I guess we knock?"

Her eyes lit up. "Can I? Please, Dipper?" It was hard to resist my sister's innate ability to convince people to let her do whatever she wanted, even as a Rhodes Scholar and the proud owner of 2 masters' and a PHD at just 23. I sighed and nodded. She proceeded to bang on the door with both fists. "SOOOOOOS! OPEN UP!" Classic Mabel.

Instead of Soos, a woman with red hair that was shorter than she had worn it before answered the door. She had her classic flannel, jeans, combat boots, and, after all these years, a battered baseball cap, blue and white, with a pine tree on it. She looked at us for a second before it dawned on her. "Dipper! Mabel!"

As Wendy Corduroy bear hugged the both of us, I remembered instantly the power and warmth behind her rather thin frame. I thought back to that rather eventful summer and remembered the silly little kid's crush I had on her. Now she was just Wendy, and both of us were more than glad to see her. As she released us, she looked back with a wide smile, no doubt remembering that same summer. "Come on in!" Wendy turned and looked upstairs. "Soos! You've got visitors!"

I looked into the living room and felt a rush of familiarity. Grunkle Stan's chair was still in its all-important place in front of the TV, which, except for the massive amounts of duct tape around the console, was still battered but reliable. The smell came back to me, that well-known stink that felt like home.

A man came down the stairs in a great rush. Even though Wendy was hardly distinguishable from when I saw her last, Soos Ramirez barely resembled the bumbling Mystery Shack handyman I had known. His whiskers were nonexistent, his hair was neatly trimmed and combed, but it was still Soos. He still wore a copy of his trademark question shirt, but he wore a weathered but still usable suit jacket over it. And on top of his head still sat Grunkle Stan's old fez. His eyes lit up as he saw us, and pulled us into a bear hug of his own. "What's up, dudes?"

Mabel laughed. "Soos, you haven't changed a bit!" Go figure.

I caught a glimpse of gold on Soos' fourth finger. "Soos! You got married?"

He let us go with the slightest bit of awkwardness. "Melody and I have been for a few months now. I sent you both invitations, but I never got an R.S.V.P. back. What happened?"

Mabel and I turned red with embarrassment. "I would've, Soos," my sister replied. "But I was swamped with so much schoolwork, and other colleges kept on mailing me application information. Yours must've gotten lost in the clutter."

"And I've been all over the country, looking for weird stuff with-"

I stopped as I came close to the real reason we were here and shuddered. Wendy noticed the change of tone. "Sit down, I'm going to check on dinner."

They led us into the dining room where it seemed Wendy was cooking up bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Soos and Mabel did most of the talking, while I sat there, thinking about the past couple of days. I'd thought that nothing could go more wrong than the time the world almost ended. This was different. This was personal, and I knew that I would stop at nothing until-

"Dipper?"

I came out of my daze. Everyone was looking at me. "Why are you here?" Wendy asked.

I sighed. "Pacifica is missing."

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2: Catalyst

**Two Days Ago...**

I was standing in a field, alone. The sky above was blood red, and it was torn in a gigantic X. A pyramid was floating below it. I heard monsters growling, saw shadows moving around me. A eerie giggle creeped behind me. I turned around, and saw the silhouette of a triangle with limbs and a top hat-

I woke up with a shout. The moon shone through the RV's windows. I calmed down enough to hear the owls hooting, the brook running outside, and the wind through the trees.

"What is it now, Dipper?" Pacifica was groggy, but awake enough. "Another nightmare?"

I sighed. Every so often, I'd be woken up by images of the dark times. Pacifica had been dealing with this for quite some time, but her patience was much of the reason that I was glad that she stuck with me for as long as she did. Even so, she had enough on her plate. She never needed to hear about what I saw. "Nothing, go back to sleep."

Even in the dark I could tell that she was scowling. "Dipper Pines, you tell me what you saw right now, or so help me you'll sleep in the driver's seat for the rest of the night."

I smiled begrudgingly. She still knew how to play me. "Fine. It was Weirdmageddon all over again. I saw the red sky, the pyramid. I saw him. 10 damn years and I still see him." I felt a finger press against my lips.

Pacifica's tone was calm but firm. "Honey, what everybody went through in those days was terrifying. Considering you and Mabel went through even worse stuff, I'd be surprised if you weren't having nightmares." A pause. "To be completely honest, I've been having nightmares too."

I guess I never asked. Pacifica always seemed more levelheaded than I was. "How long have these been going on?"

She had her head facing out the window away from me. "Ever since things went back to being normal-or as normal as they could be. When you get turned into a decoration for the home of an insane transdimensional demon, you tend to not have the fondest memories about that stuff."

Pacifica turned back towards me. "My point is, Dipper, that you don't have to go through this alone. I know the only thing keeping me grounded is you. If I didn't have you, well, I don't know what I'd do."

I smiled at her. Genuinely comforted this time. "What you said. About being alone? I'm never alone with you."

She smiled back at me. "Glad to hear it. Now go to bed, Dipping Sauce. Big day tomorrow, you know."

As she turned back to sleep, I thought about what I said. I meant it. Every word. Pacifica was my lifeline. If I didn't have her, I'd have nothing.

* * *

The next morning, we were heading down the highway towards USC. That day was Mabel's graduation, one of a rather long list. Pacifica coerced me into wearing at least a tie and dress shirt. She couldn't do anything about the jeans and Converse, but I had a suspicion that she didn't want to. Looking stunning with the least bit of effort, as always, she opted for jeans herself, with a white shirt and a purple cardigan.

The three hour drive from where we had been camping out the night before was long, so we tried to make it worth the time. Yelling out the lyrics to our favorite songs on the radio, spotting terrible drivers, making endless puns about what we saw (that was mostly on me, Pacifica only made the puns stronger by groaning every time I made one). We knew how to have a good time.

We found parking to be a hassle, as one would expect to run into driving an RV, but given the experience I've gained driving it since Grunkle Stan gave it to me 5 years ago, I felt more than comfortable at the wheel. I felt a pang of regret when I thought about my great-uncles. Ford and Stan couldn't make the graduation, something about Bermuda.

We got to Mabel's door in her apartment building. Looking at the doors surrounding her, we didn't even need her room number. Whereas all of the other doors looked relatively bland, a name or two here and there, my twin's door was covered in her signature glitter. Living with her were Candy and Grenda; Candy's name was written out, surprise, surprise, in candy (some places had missing spots), Grenda had her name in large block letters that were somewhat sloppily done. Most notable of all, however, was Mabel's, of course. Somehow she managed to stitch her name out of yarn, glitter it, _and_ bedazzle it.

Both of us were apprehensive to knock on the door. We knew how Mabel's greetings usually went, so we decided in the best manner possible: Rock, Paper, Scissors. I lost, hand over fist, and went to knock.

My knuckle hadn't even touched the wood when the door opened and I was engulfed in a sea of soft, pink, sweaters and my ears were assaulted with the squealing of my twin sister and her pig.

"HEY THERE LITTLE BROTHER HOWAREYOU?!"

My voice was muffled. "Mafel, you're cruffing me!"

"Oops, sorry, bro!" Mabel got off of me and, of course, gave Pacifica a normal hug. "I'm so glad you guys could make it! Come on in!"

When we walked into the apartment, it looked like the trio sacrificed unicorns every night and anointed the rooms with their entrails (sorry, but if you've seen the stuff I have, you'd have a screwed-up imagination too). Wall to wall was glittery, pink, everything. Grenda and Candy sat on the couch in the living room, crafting supplies surrounding them on all sides. Both of them jumped up and hugged Pacifica, squealing(or in Grenda's case, bellowing). Then they moved on to me.

After extracting myself from Grenda's bearhug and Candy's awkward half-hug, half-fist bump, I went to the kitchen, looking for some coffee.

"Looking for this?" Mabel was already putting the grounds in the coffee maker.

I smiled. "You know me too well."

She laughed. "After the trip here, I thought you might need a pick-me-up. Sugar and cream?"

"Two of each." We waited in relative silence as the girls were gushing over the graduation caps and their various decorations. Mabel's eyes never looked away from me. I frowned. "What?"

My twin looked worried. "You know very well what I mean. Pacifica texted me before you guys got here. More nightmares?"

I cursed under my breath. Sometimes it felt like Pacifica and Mabel were as close as I was to Mabel. "I see him. Every time."

She put her hand on my shoulder. "I know, Dipper. Pacifica's had dreams, I have, Wendy and Soos-"

"These aren't just 'wake you up in the middle of the night and find out you pissed the sheets' kind of nightmares, Mabel," I spat out. Mabel took a step back. I crossed a line there. "I'm sorry, that came out harsh."

"It's fine," replied the alpha twin, somewhat cooly.

"It's just...You didn't know him like I did. The only person who knew him more is Great Uncle Ford. He possessed my body, used me, fooled me."

Mabel laughed without finding humor in the situation. "You think you were the only one that knows what he did? What about when he put me in my own little paradise, just so I would forget about my problems, so I would forget Grunkle Stan, Soos, Wendy, Grenda and Candy? So I would forget my own brother?"

I couldn't meet my twin's eyes for a second. When I lifted them, she didn't look angry. Just hurt. "Just remember that you're not the only one he messed up."

I looked back at her apologetically. "I'm sorry."

Mabel smiled. "Awkward sibling hug?"

"Awkward sibling hug."

* * *

Pacifica and I found a place amongst the countless parents, siblings and friends. Mom and Dad couldn't make the trip either, what with Mom bogged down with work and my dad bogged down with the flu. Nevertheless, they sent their love via postcard, much like Grunkle Stan and Great Uncle Ford.

"Pomp and Circumstances" started, and the huge mass of human beings turned toward the back of the gigantic auditorium where the graduates gathered. First came Candy, who was actually getting a degree in Paranormal Investigation. The government had tried the best they could to keep the weirdness of Gravity Falls and other anomalies out of the public eye, but they couldn't hold on to that for longer, so they saw it as a job opportunity. They opened the PNIB (ParaNormal Investigation Bureau) up as much as they could for jobs, and Candy was going down the same route that Agents Powers and Trigger had. Next came Grenda. Given her penchant for being very direct and commanding, it was no surprise that she was going for a BMA. As she received her diploma, a huge roar erupted from a few rows behind us. Doubtless all of her three immediate family members showed up.

A little while later came Mabel, skipping up the stairs, almost shaking the dean to death, and showing off her cap, which had a light up version of her shooting star logo on it. As I looked at the rest of the graduates going up, I wondered whether it was worth it not going to college. _Surely I've had enough weirdness in my life, college would have been relaxing as compared to saving the universe,_ I reasoned. _But would I be doing something worthwhile? It's the weirdness that I love, and no degree could give me this much satisfaction._ _Besides,_ as I looked at Pacifica, _would I have her?_

She looked at me with an amused look on her face. "What are you looking at?"

I was going to say "Nothing" when the crowd erupted into a cacophony of applause, yelling, and whistling. And that was when it happened.

The world went black and white. Everything looked like a movie from the '50s, from the sky, the people's faces, everything but me. The wind stopped moving, nothing made a sound. As I looked around, I saw that I was the only one that was still moving.

I looked at Pacifica, and before I could do anything, her entire body was engulfed with a bright, blinding, blue light. And suddenly she was gone. No ash, no smoke, no remains. My heart slowed to a crawl, or maybe it beat so fast I couldn't tell the difference anymore.

And just like that the world reverted to normal. No one around me seemed to notice that a blonde woman had just disappeared. No one. Except me.

* * *

The next hour getting back to Mabel's place passed by in an instant. When I arrived, I went to the couch and sat there for a few more hours. Mabel went off to her room, doing God know what, leaving me to my thoughts. _It can't be. Not after all this time. There has to be another explanation._ These thoughts swirled around in my brain, but every time it did, the same conclusion forced its way in. Finally, I made a decision. _I will NOT accept that as fact. Doubt everything, trust your gut, as Grunkle Stan always said._

I went to Mabel's door and knocked. "Mabel, I'm leaving."

"Right now? Where?"

"You know where. I can't wait anymore, Mabel."

She sounded frustrated on the other side. "You can't leave right now!"

Her frustration fed mine. "Mabel, Pacifica VANISHED in front of me, I have to get to the bottom of this!"

She opened the door. On her bed were three overly-stuffed suitcases, with a fourth also on the bed, almost full with sweaters. "I mean you can't leave until I'm fully packed!"

I looked at the suitcases, then her. I wanted to tell her that no, she couldn't go, this was my mission, etc. One look in her eyes convinced me she was coming, that fiery determination that we shared. I smiled and said "Let me help, at least."

When we finally got in the RV, I looked at her again. That fiery gleam was still there, but was pointed at the road ahead, and not me. I reached for the GPS and put in our destination.

GRAVITY FALLS, OREGON

* * *

 **Hgizdyviirvh ziv gsv lmob uifrg drgs hvvwh lm gsv lfghrwv.**


	3. Chapter 3: Denial

I finished my story, and sat in silence. Mabel looked at me with pity, Wendy looked positively shocked, and Soos had a thoughtful look on his face. No one said a word, until Soos took an apprehensive fork to his pancake. This caused Wendy and Mabel to eat, but I couldn't do it. Seeing the event happen was bad enough, retelling it for Mabel and now Wendy and Soos was worse.

After Soos had had a sizeable amount of food off his plate, he spoke up. "So I guess he's back, then."

I knew that he was going to say that. Mabel had been arguing that point on the drive up here most of the way. But couldn't be that. Not now. "We don't know that," I said, preparing for the torrent of rebukes I was about to go under. I wasn't disappointed.

Mabel went first. "Who else has the power to stop time like you saw?"

"Maybe there's another demon out there?" I replied.

"Another demon who targeted your girlfriend?" Wendy countered. "That's too much of a coincidence."

"I repeat myself, we don't know that."

Soos chimed in. "Pacifica disappeared in a flash of blue light. No being makes that kind of power in that color."

"Once agai-"

"We defeated him before; we can do it again."

"We won't ne-"

"What is your pro-"

 _SMASH!_

" _ **BILL. CIPHER. IS. DEAD!**_ "

I was standing, enflamed by their accusations, seething. All of them held some form of pity. I didn't want that. I didn't want the demon who made my life hell, and the one who was making it hell every other night to be the one I'd lost Pacifica to. I looked down at the table where my friends and sister were looking and noticed my hand was bleeding from the broken plate I just smashed.

Wendy got up and announced with a bit of shakiness in her voice, "I'll get the first aid kit."

We sat in silence for a bit more, at least until Wendy had cleaned up and bandaged my hand. Then I spoke, very calmly, very deliberately. "If he really is back, then how did he return, exactly?" I looked at them, daring them to come up with some excuse. None of them answered, looking at their food, appetites gone. I sighed. "I need proof. Absolute, complete, proof, that we didn't kill him." Again, silence. I was still fuming. I stood up and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Mabel cried from the table.

"Getting some fresh air," I said without looking back, and slammed the door.

* * *

I walked outside; quite frankly, I stormed off. As I was a good ways away I heard the door open and close again. Turning my head, I saw my sister running to me, but I didn't stop moving, even when I heard her out-of-breath panting next to me.

"Dipper."

I didn't respond.

"Dip."

Still nothing.

"DIPPER PINES!"

I whirl around. "WHAT!" What, Mabel?!"

Her face was displaying a kind of anger I hadn't seen in ages. "You complete idiot!" She slapped me, and my face burned with pain. Despite her appearance, Mabel packed quite a bit of power in her hands. "You have proof, you witnessed this first hand, and you're still denying this?"

I tried to hold back a bubbling pot of anger in my stomach. "It's not that simple. I don't have proof, none of us do! What I saw was Pacifica taken from me. The blue light, the black-and-white-ness, all of that could be coincidence, and I won't go on a wild goose chase looking for some supernatural being that doesn't exist any more!"

Mabel only shook her head at me. "A supernatural being that targeted someone YOU loved. That's more than coincidental and you know it."

"I don't have to listen to this," I snapped as I walked further into the woods.

She kept pace with me. "Since when did you become the skeptic? You were always the one that believed every crazy story, every far out legend. What changed you?"

I didn't look at her. "I haven't changed, I just refuse to believe it."

"Why? Because your facts prove us wrong, or you just don't want to believe it?"

The pot boiled over. "MAYBE I DON'T!"

My anger flared again, but Mabel wasn't as shocked as the first time, and that made my anger worse. "Maybe I don't want to think that ALL that work was all for nothing! Can't I have that? Can't I have some goddamn happiness in my life? Can't I keep something without it being taken away from me?!" Mabel refused to yield any sort of emotion, and we kept on walking.

By this time, we were into the forest a good ways. The trees here came into a clearing, a rather large one at that. At the center was a mound of shrubbery over what looked to be an oddly shaped boulder. As I looked at it, I saw that it took a very particular shape. My eyes widened, and I ran up to the boulder and started ripping off the leaves and the moss and the vines.

Mabel gasped, I stared at the "boulder" with the utmost hatred. Underneath all of the greenery was the stone body of Bill Cipher. I remembered that that was the last form he took as he invaded Grunkle Stan's mind. I looked at my sister. Her face was mildly confused, but still defeated. I pointed at my former enemy's mausoleum. "There. There's your proof. He's dead." To emphasize my point, I kicked the stone effigy.

Suddenly, it happened again. The world slowed down and became white and black. Both of us shouted out of fear, and instinctively, I threw my arms around my sister. Then I heard it.

That grating, high-pitched giggling that had haunted me for 10 years. It was piercing, harsh, and unrelenting just like I remember. It was fear, it was anger, it was insanity.

I looked all over for the source of that horrible noise. "No. No, no no, no, NO!" Not here, not again.

Above the stone appeared a triangle that grew and grew. Inside it was as if I saw the depths of space. On the outside burned yellow flames. A singular eye grew from the middle of the triangle and looked at me and Mabel. Limbs grew from its sides as a bowtie and top hat materialized on it. The body was made of bricks that were black as night and empty as space, then turned into a bright yellow that hurt my eyes.

Again, I felt my heart speed up or slow down. Either way, there was no denying anything anymore.

The creature narrowed its eye at me. His body lit up with every syllable.

"Surprise, bitch. I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me."

Bill Cipher had risen again.

* * *

 **8-5-12-12-15 1-7-1-9-14 16-9-14-5 20-18-5-5. 9 13-9-19-19-5-4 19-20-18-1-23-2-5-18-18-9-5-19.**


	4. Chapter 4: Vengeance

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Before I knew what was doing, I charged Cipher. He opened up his arms as I tried to strike him, and I flew inside him and out through his front.

As I fell to the ground, I didn't care that I couldn't hurt him physically. All I cared about was that he was here, he was hurting me and my family again, and I wanted him dead _now_. "WHERE IS SHE?!"

He flew down towards me, toting his cane, taunting me. "Cool out, Pine Tree." Cipher laughed again. "You REALLY haven't changed. Itty bitty Dipwad lost his precious!" For a creature without a mouth, the dream demon was obviously grinning with malicious delight.

Mabel helped me to my feet, blazed bullets into the triangle's eye. "Why are you here, Bill? HOW are you alive?"

Suddenly he was inches away from my twin's face. "You oughta take a chill pill too, Shooting Star. Interrogation isn't really your strong suit." He expanded to three times his size, turning a furious red. " **ALL WILL BE REVEALED.** " The triangle shrunk back down to normal. "Buuuuut, I guess I can answer that first question of yours."

He floated back and pointed at the both of us with his cane. "You two were a huge wrench in my plans. If it wasn't for you kids and your little Grunkles too, I could have brought freedom to this stupid, bland, FLAT universe." He pointed out his 2-D figure. "I might not be as stable as I could be, but I'm still powerful enough to make your lives hell, starting with you, Pine Tree."

Cipher circled us, twirling his cane and adjusting his bowtie. "I'm feeling like being a good sport today, so, if you want to see Pine Tree's arm candy again, you'll have to come on **my turf.** "

I gaped at Cipher as what he said hit me. "You have her in the Nightmare Realm?"

He snapped his fingers and winked at me. "Bingo, Dipstick. Come to the Nightmare Realm. I'll give you 12 hours to get her. Wait too long, and I'll see if there's a small molecule of her left for you. I'll be waiting," he sang.

We snapped out of the trance that he had us in. We fell to the floor, shaken, scared to say anything. The stone body was now in pieces.

Mabel and I looked at each other. Both of us got up and ran back the way we came.

* * *

We swung the door of the Mystery Shack open, out of breath, to a shocked Soos and Wendy. I went right for the couch and slumped into it as Mabel relayed what we had just seen. When she was done, they came over to me.

I stared at the ceiling. When I looked at them, each of them looked back mirroring my hopelessness. I could tell they felt bad for what had transpired earlier. I smiled at them. "I'm sorry." They started to perk up a little bit. "I was letting my emotions get the better of me. I shouldn't have taken that out on you guys."

Mabel was the first to respond. "It's fine, Dipper. I would've done the same in your position."

Any tension in the room relaxed after she said that. I waited a bit longer before continuing the conversation. "We need a plan. Bill's got her in the Nightmare Realm, and before we can do anything we need to take stock of the situation."

Wendy nodded. "First problem, how do we get to this Nightmare Realm, or whatever?"

I looked at Mabel and Soos, knowingly, then turned to Wendy. "The portal. It's our only shot."

She looked a bit confused. Soos said, "You remember that one time I kept you up until 3 in the morning to tell you about what happened in the basement?" The look on her face told him she did. "That's the portal you mean, right, Dipper?"

I nodded, and said "I know it's risky, but it's our only shot at getting Pacifica back."

"Didn't it get destroyed when Great Uncle Ford came through the portal?" Mabel reminded me.

"Damn. I forgot about that." I wrinkled my nose at the major setback. "Maybe there's something in the journals about it."

I went into my bag and brought out three binders. After Cipher destroyed the original journals, we all thought they were lost forever, even Ford. It was only when Grunkle Stan remembered that he had copied down each of the pages, including the third journal I had for a while, that we breathed a sigh of relief. After Weirdmaggedon, Ford and Stan went on their expedition around the world for strange and mysterious creatures, and took the journals with them. I was disappointed, until, on Mabel's and my 18th birthday, they showed up as a surprise, and gave to me these binders, containing further copies of the journals. Without these journals, I wouldn't have gone on the path that I had.

All four of us flipped through the journals, specifically trying to find the pages that, when aligned correctly, formed the schematic to the portal. We found the pages, and put them in order. "You think you can translate this, Dipper?" asked Mabel.

I looked at the schematics, thinking hard. "I think so. I've studied all of these journals for years, I should be able to get this working again." I faced the others. "You guys are up for this?" Their confident smiles answers were enough for me. "Then let's get down to work."

* * *

She couldn't cover her ears. The insults kept coming, cutting into her like hot knives.

" _You're still a slave to your parents."_

" _You don't deserve your boyfriend's love."_

" _Once a Northwest, always a Northwest."_

"SHUT UP!"

The tears would've burned Pacifica's eyes if she had any left. The humanoid figure before her sneered at her.

"Honey, I'm HOOOOOOME!"

The triangle kicked down the door. Pacifica locked her eyes on his. If he had a mouth, he would be smiling right now. "Take a break, buddy. I need to talk to Llama myself."

" _Don't take too long, Bill, I'm not even close to being finished."_ The figure slipped into the shadows of the room.

The room was a cylindrical shape with a very high ceiling. Outside the door was a fiery red wasteland that smelled like sulfur. Pacifica was shackled to the walls by chains that cut into her wrists and ankles. Cipher twirled his cane as he came closer to her. "How we doing here, princess?"

She said nothing and just stared daggers into him. He laughed. "Silence and glaring. You remind me of Fordsy sometimes, kiddo." Cipher brought up a chair and sat down. "Just talked to Pine Tree. He should be here in a few hours or so."

Pacifica's eyes widened, but she still didn't say a word.

Cipher's eye narrowed in glee. "That's right, Llama Girl. He's coming here just for you. And if I'm not mistaken, he's bringing Shooting Star too, at least. And you, my dear…" He flew right in Pacifica's face. "You'll get to watch them all die."

Pacifica summoned up all of the saliva in her mouth and spat it in Cipher's eye. He screamed in pain. "BILL DAMN IT!" A sharp pain shot across her face as Cipher slapped her. "Get the bell," he snarled at the figure in the dark.

The humanoid walked out of the shadows. Dipper Pines pulled a small dinner bell out of his pocket as Cipher cackled.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

* * *

 **V unir lbhe tenirf nyy cvpxrq bhg.**


	5. Chapter 5: Passage

We had been working for 5 hours straight when I sat down to rest. Wendy, Soos, and Mabel knew enough of the schematics to finish most of the rest. As I looked at them, I thought about how glad I was that they were with me. As I thought about it more though, I couldn't help thinking about if the Grunkles were here. I could use them.

I pulled out my laptop and pulled up Skype. Most of the time they weren't available, given their being on a journey across the oceans. However, Great Uncle Ford said he was working on getting a connection on the boat, and I was hoping that he finally fixed it. I looked at my contacts to find Grunkle Stan or Great Uncle Ford. Great Uncle Ford's circle was green. My heart leapt as I clicked on his name.

The call went through and I saw the familiar visage of my Great Uncle. Although his years of dimension hopping had managed to slow his aging process, Ford had started to look more and more like Stan, his hair greyer and thinner. But he managed to age with grace nonetheless, despite wearing a Hawaiian shirt. "Dipper! How are you?"

I smiled. "I'm...fine, Great Uncle Ford. Is Stan there too?"

A gruff voice came through the speakers. "I don't know, lemme check." My other grunkle shoved Ford out of the way. "How's my most easily embarrassed nephew?"

"I'm… You know what, I'm sorry. No, I'm not fine. Something just came up, something big."

Ford and Stan put their heads close enough to both be in the camera at the same time.

I took a deep breath. "Bill Cipher is back."

Ford's face paled, whereas Stan's face contorted with anger.

Ford was the first to speak. "Dipper, please tell me you are joking. This event could have disastrous complications for us all."

"He's not here right now. He's got Pacifica, in the Nightmare Realm," I hurriedly explained.

"You mean to tell me," Stan said in a dangerous tone, "What I did to get rid of that triangular bastard, was all for NOTHING?!"

Ford regarded his brother with a reproachful face. "Stanley, that doesn't help us right now. The fact of the matter is that we've got problems. Big problems." He turned to me. "Where are you right now, Dipper?"

I looked behind me. Mabel, Wendy, and Soos were putting the finishing touches on the portal. "The basement of the Mystery Shack. We have to go in through the portal down here. There's no other way around it."

Stan's jaw dropped to the ground, but this time it was Ford's turn to get angry. "Dipper Pines, are you INSANE? The last time someone (he glared at Stan) opened that portal, it very nearly destroyed the town. Another launch of that program could very well destroy the world, if not the universe!"

I gritted my teeth. "I have no choice, Great Uncle Ford. Pacifica only has a few hours left before Bill kills her. It's up to me to set things straight."

"I can't allow you to do this, Dipper. It's far too-"

I slammed my fist down on the table. "No. What you will or will not allow is not important. What is important is that the woman that I love is in the hands of a psycho triangle with god-like powers. I will not allow him to take her away from me. What I really need right now is some advice. If you can't give that to me then there's no reason we're having this conversation."

Ford sighed. After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke up. "Dipper, I'm afraid I can't give you any more information than is in those journals. Anything and everything about Bill is in there."

Stan looked at me with a worried look on his face. "Kid, are you sure you can do anything against him? You know how powerful he is."

"I know. But he took Pacifica. I have to try to get her back. And the only way to get her back is to go into the Nightmare Realm. I have no choice."

"You sure that the journal's have nothing else?" Stan asked Ford and me.

I took one of the journals and flipped through it one more time. "Nothing. The gun Great Uncle Ford had is destroyed, we can't complete the circle anymore, and we also don't have the memory gun."

One of the pages got ripped out from my flipping and fell on the floor. I picked it up. Something happened when I held it up to the light. Suddenly, something clicked in my brain. I knew in my head what I needed to do.

"Dipper! The portal's ready!"

I jumped. Mabel was standing next to me. She noticed who I was talking to. "Grunkle Stan! Great Uncle Ford!"

Ford and Stan's faces brightened for a moment as Mabel excitedly started telling them about her own exploits.

I studied the page, memorized it. This was the most crucial part of the plan, the most delicate. If I messed this up, nothing would be the same. For safe keeping, I put the page in my pocket, and looked up at my Grunkles. "We have to go."

Ford sighed. "I guess I can't stop you. Promise you'll try and be safe."

I smiled. "Best I can, I suppose."

Stan chuckled at this. "Good luck, kid. I better be hearing from you soon."

I looked down at the page. "Yeah. Soon."

We stood before the portal, ready to turn it on. I flipped the switch. The gateway screamed alive.

"Now remember!" I shouted above the roar of the dimensional winds. "We need to all think 'Nightmare Realm' at the same time! Got it?"

My friends nodded, Mabel with her grappling hook, Wendy with her axe, and Soos with Grunkle Stan's cane.

I readied Great Uncle Ford's laser gun. "Here we go."

* * *

 **Rxv Yzt, Jfvhgrlm Nzip, Hsllgrmt Hgzi, Krmv Givv.**

* * *

 _Biggest of apologies to my readers for this large hiatus. College is making writing difficult, so I will slug through the next two months best I can, and I promise there will be more chapters this summer! Thanks for you all for hanging on this far!_


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